Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Soichiro Masuda

Koji Ito

Kazuya Tanaka

Masanobu Ishikawa

Toshiro Maeda

An impact detecting apparatus includes a housing, a fixed electrode located within the housing, a movable electrode located adjacent the fixed electrode and adapted to be electrically connected with the fixed electrode, and a conical slope located within the housing. The conical slope has varying gradients or slopes along the circumferential direction of the conical slope for providing varying sensitivity. A ball is also located on the conical slope, and a shaft is located within the housing. The shaft is movably supported on the housing for engaging the ball and is adapted to control the position of the movable electrode.

Impact detecting apparatus

An impact detecting apparatus has a housing having a conical slope therein and a ball located on the conical slope. A shaft is located within the housing and movably supported on the housing for striking the ball with one end. A fixed electrode is located within the housing and a movable electrode is located near the fixed electrode. The movable electrode electrically connects with the fixed electrode. A lever is rotatably and slidably supported within the housing. One end of the lever is able to push the movable electrode and the other end of the lever is able to contact with the shaft. A spring urges the shaft for striking the ball.

A shock sensor for vehicles is provided with a housing having a sloping bottom wall and a ball that can move up the sloping wall when a shock in excess of a certain level is applied. A supporting member pushes the ball towards the bottom end of the housing but is released from the ball upon the application of a shock in excess of a certain level. A movable electrode is mounted on the supporting member and is disconnected from a fixed electrode that is fixed within the housing during downward movement of the rod. This causes the electric current to be turned off. The connected state of the electrodes can be restored by pulling up a reset member.

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Toyota, Japan

Soichiro Masuda